Background

Disability affects 21.4% of Australians, or 5.5 million people ( ABS 2024), although there is limited research about disability in people of refugee-background and people seeking asylum in Australia. 

In May 2012, Chris Bowen (then Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) announced streamlining the health waiver provisions for offshore Humanitarian entrants in response to the 2010 Joint Standing Committee on Migration report, Enabling Australia: Inquiry into the Migration Treatment of Disability. These changes effectively allowed humanitarian entrants with disability to settle in Australia. Between 2011-2016 there were few arrivals with disability/complex conditions (supported by health waiver data). From around 2017, we have seen a much higher number of children/young people with complex disability, and currently, more than 30% of new arrival families are 'complex cases' (as of 2025). Recent audits from our service have shown high prevalence of neurodevelopmental concerns in Syrian and Iraqi (2019), asylum seeker (2024), and Afghan cohorts (2025, submitted for publication). 

Clinical assessment, school enrolment and service access is complex for recently arrived children with disability, especially for older children and adolescents. Please see guidelines on developmental assessment and education assessment for clinical assessment, this guideline is intended to provide summary information on service pathways for new arrivals with disability.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is administered by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA; an independent statutory agency). The NDIS provides support for people with disability (and their families and carers) who are permanent residents or citizens. Support is goal-oriented, with a focus on community participation and accessing mainstream supports. See:

• Operational guidelines
  
• Find a registered provider
• NDIS Victoria
  
• Supports funded by the NDIS (and Operational guidelines: detail on supports)
• Support coordinators
• Translated information
• Interactive data tables - examine by participants, disability group, age, area, providers and plan utilisation.

Interpreter support is available through TIS for NDIS planning and service delivery (fact sheet for providers, fact sheet for participants). Participants can call TIS National on 131450 and ask to speak to NDIS on 1800800110. NDIS participants and carers are not charged for language services (Note: different arrangements in place for Auslan)

Disability - eligibility criteria

Supports for people <65 years 

• Residence requirements - <65 years, Australian citizen, permanent resident, or protected Special Category Visa holder (arrival before 26 February 2001). 
• Disability requirements - Disability caused by an impairment (intellectual, cognitive, neurological, sensory, physical), where the impairment is likely permanent and reduces functional capacity
  
  • List A - conditions which are likely to meet the disability requirements in s.24 of NDIS Act
  • List B - conditions for which permanent impairment/functional capacity are variable and require further assessment
    
• NDIS partners office locator and Local area coordination partners (Victoria).
• Access request (being phased out)
• Fact sheets for participants.
  

Early childhood approach eligibility criteria

Supports for children 0-9 years (children <6 years with delay, children <9y with disability)

• Residence requirements - <9 years, Australian citizen, permanent resident
• Early intervention requirements
  • Children <6 years do not need a diagnosis to access the NDIS, they can access NDIS under developmental delay criteria (mental or physical impairments, reduced functional capacity, needs specialist services from >1 professional working as a team and for >12 months).
  • Once children turn 6 years old, they need to meet the Disability eligibility criteria above (also see list A and list B), or have a condition on list D (permanent impairment <7 years) 
    
• Early childhood partners
• Early childhood approach referral form and consent to share information. Our advice is to ensure meetings with local area coordinators are face to face and the child attends the meeting.
• Fact sheets for families/carers: Early childhood approach and Get support for your child
  

NDIS - hospital admitted patients

In July 2022, the Disability reform ministers committed to a range of measures to improve hospital discharge for people in/eligible for NDIS (see media release and resources). These include:

• Contacting every participant (or their authorised representative or nominee) within 4 days of being notified of their admission to hospital.  
• Approving their NDIS plan within 30 days, recognising that participants may need an interim plan with higher supports for the first 12-18 weeks.
• Where a person is not yet an NDIS participant, and their functional capacity or the permanency of their disability are unknown, NDIS will assess their eligibility as a priority, usually within 7-10 days. 
• NDIA hospital journey map and NDIA hospital discharge pathway. 
  

In order to progress this, hospital staff need to refer people to NDIA as soon as possible, by emailing: health.liaison.officer@ndis.gov.au (and also email Disability.liaision@rch.org.au internally at RCH) and provide a functional assessment within 15 calendar days to enable NDIS to have an approved plan within 30 days. 

Other NDIS resources

• Association for Children with a Disability (ACD) - NDIS (great explanation of access pathways and evidence for the NDIS)
  
• Key components of a support letter
  
• NDIS - Plan Implementation Directory
• NDIS - Would we fund it?

Note: Independent assessments for NDIS did not progress (see Discussion paper November 2020). There was public consultation over Nov 2020 - Feb 2021, and review by the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS - through a Senate Inquiry, also see timeline. 

Alternative pathways for non-residents

Aside from (adult) protected SCV holders, non-resident children and adults with disability, including asylum seekers and refugees on temporary protection visas (TPV) cannot access NDIS. Alternative pathways are available in Victoria as follows:

• Age 5-65y (non-resident) - there is a small program to support people who are ineligible for NDIS under the Disability Act, 2006. This program is called VIN-CoS (Victorians Ineligible for NDIS, Continuity of Support) and is run through Statewide Disability Services, Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH). VIN-CoS is only available if there are no other options for support. For school-aged children, the program will assess what services are in place (i.e. through school) and if there are service gaps. VIN-CoS has access and eligibility criteria (against the Disability Act, 2006) and all alternative funding/supports need to be explored/exhausted prior to submitting a request. See Registration and Request form, and Consent form - email VINCOS.enquiries@dffh.vic.gov.au (as of 2023).
  

• Age 0-6 years/school entry (non-resident) - early childhood intervention is available through the Department of Education and Training (DET) Early Childhood Intervention Services - Continuity of Support (ECIS-CoS) Program, announced in the 2017-18 Victorian Budget. The process for non-resident children is to i) apply for NDIS through their local ECP, ii) confirm they not eligible for NDIS (through application to NDIS and  formal rejection), and iii) progress the ECIS-CoS application with ECP assistance. In practice we have found advice from ECP has been variable, and it is helpful to explain the 3-step process to families ahead of time. Inquiries - eciscos@education.vic.gov.au.

Other service pathways

Case management

• Disability services (DFFH, Victoria)
• Humanitarian Settlement Program (HSP) includes case management for humanitarian arrivals and there are provisions for Specialised and intensive services - for eligible humanitarian entrants up to 5 years after arrival or grant of an onshore protection visa.

Equipment

• Victorian Aids and Equipment Program may still provide some funding
• Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS) - age >5 years also need to be citizen/hold PR, and not an NDIS recipient, also see Continence Foundation guide to planning for the NDIS.

Early childhood

• Access to early learning is a targeted program for three-year-old children from families with complex needs
• Inclusion support program for early childhood education
• Additional childcare subsidy - 13 weeks support - assistance to families that are in circumstances that require practical help to support their child's safety and wellbeing.
  
• Kinder finder, pre-school field officer (PSFO) contacts, kindergarten inclusion support
  

School-aged

• School finder (includes specialist education) - also see  Australian school directory
• Disability inclusion funding (Government schools) and Disability policy
  
• Catholic education Disability funding  
  

Autism

• National Autism CRC guidelines (need to register)
• MBS item 135
• Autism - RCH CPG - management of distress and agitation
  
• AMAZE - peak body for people on the autism spectrum and their supporters in Victoria.
• Support for students with autism (Victorian DET).
  
• Living on the spectrum (included State based directory)

Down syndrome

• Down syndrome Australia - translated resources  

Deaf/hard of hearing

• Aurora school and early intervention
• Hearing Australia,
• Deaf Children Australia
  
• Next Sense
  
• Victorian Deaf Education Network (includes maps of primary and secondary schools for hearing impaired students)
  

Vision impairment

• Education Vision Assessment Clinic - EVAC - RVEEH
• Guide Dogs Australia
• Next Sense
  
• Vision Australia
  

Family/carer support

• Carers Victoria, carer support payments - also ECCV CALD carer support project
• Carer gateway
• Parent/family support resources (Genetic Support Network Victoria).
• Carer allowance and carer payment - treating doctor reports for  children <16 years and  children >16 years  (note asylum seekers and children on a TPV not eligible). 

Other resources

• Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities (ADEC) - empowering people with disabilities from ethnic backgrounds (includes translated information)
• Advocating for Children with a Disability (ACD) - advocacy and information service for families of children with (any) disability in Victoria, includes excellent resources on school pathways. 
• Clickability - disability service directory with user ratings/reviews
• Disability Gateway - service/support directory
• National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA)
  
• TIS allied health professionals

_{Immigrant health resources. Author: Georgie Paxton, Karen Kiang, Sophie Oldfield, updated Jul 2025. Contact: georgia.paxton@rch.org.au}